Mavis Staples

Timeless, funky, moving. With a career that spans from Chicago churches in the early '50s to backing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his motivational tours of the Deep South, Mavis Staples has been inspiring listeners for decades.

Go back in time. Songs like the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself" have already survived generations, providing fodder for musicians that followed in the footsteps of the Staples' legendary harmonies. Mavis' latest work, You Are Not Alone, revisits the folk songs of her childhood, winning a Grammy for Best Americana Album in 2011.

Forever young. Mavis frequently declares that she'll never stop singing, and at 72 years old, she's shown no signs of slowing her recording or touring schedule. She earned a whole new audience through recent collaborations with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. More career highlights may be still to come in her eighth decade of life.